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Imagine a running back taking a handoff, bouncing around looking for a hole, and accelerating through the line. Picture a basketball player reading a play, jumping into a passing lane, and taking the ball on a fast break. Or a softball player coming into first base, realizing they have a chance for second, and turning on the speed as they go for a double. These are all common examples of displaying speed in team sport. Interestingly, they all also demonstrate some of the least commonly trained quality of speed developments: transitional and late acceleration.

However, when viewing the landscape of speed training in the team sport space, you can be inundated with the same training across the board. Within acceleration training, this means varied starts from differing positions, resisted sprints, marches, races, etc; then, within top-speed training, we see flying 10s, long buildups, wicket runs, and so on. This isn’t to say that these aren’t great tools—all of these can contribute to getting athletes faster. They should be a part of all programs. There is a common commitment towards speed development that has, rightly so, become a staple of performance training.

Outputs, however, are based on inputs.

Quality programming only comes from asking the right questions, and we only get high-level results by answering those questions effectively. This rings true when we dissect speed development in sport, says @coachmikesully1. Share on X

Asking a simple question like “How do I train to get faster?” produces a simple answer. Sprint with different resistances, run at top speed, do varied starts, etc. The answer is in everything that we already see within the team sport training setting. But the input—how do I get faster?—isn’t nuanced enough to understand the requirements of most team sports—as illustrated by the examples in the introduction. For my own training? It works. It’s an appropriate option for someone who enjoys being fast and athletic without having to meet any of the demands or requirements of complex gameplay.

But to help prepare athletes for the tasks specific to their sports, to create this high-level output, we must upgrade our inputs. So, a better question is, “What are the components of speed development that are expressed within the sport that we are training for and how is that reflected in programming and execution?” This question forces a closer look at the speed demands of sport and, therefore, leads to higher-level outputs and higher-level training.

This may seem like an unnecessary nuance within our lens of speed training, but it’s important within the context of team sports, especially since transitional and late acceleration often get omitted within training programs for these sports. These are the threads that tie together team sport speed development, yet they are qualities we do not see in training. So, as we begin to ask better questions to better inform our programming, let’s dive into what they are and why they are important.

Identifying the Phases of Acceleration

First, let’s define the phases of acceleration (stolen from Stu McMillan). Early acceleration is the first phase of sprinting, when ground contact times are longer than flight times. Transitional acceleration is the second phase, when flight times become greater than ground contacts, but occur before the athlete has reached an upright posture. Late acceleration is the third phase and is defined by an increase in speed without a change in posture (i.e., athlete’s posture has risen through the first phases and now is upright by late accel and speed continues to increase).

Now, it isn’t easy to identify where the phases turn into each other. It is obvious where early acceleration starts: the athlete is not moving and then starts moving. However, the latter stages of acceleration are more difficult to pinpoint. As athletes rise to upright, where do they end their early acceleration phase, transition through phases, and end up at top speed? Every athlete is different. Different leg lengths, different stride frequencies, different rates of rising. So, having clear and determined phases of acceleration is, admittedly, difficult. Likely, this is why transitional speed development is underappreciated. We simply cannot find it, therefore cannot measure it, and therefore cannot show our head coaches that we are improving it—which negates most reasons to work on a quality, right?

Although not directly applicable to team sport, it is always interesting to understand how the data of track and field helps to paint a clear picture for these phases. According to research (Coh & Tomazin, 2006), elite male track athletes will get through early acceleration within the first ten steps and through about fifteen meters. That eighth, ninth, or tenth step is often where the flight time of a stride overtakes the ground contact time. We also know that these same athletes take anywhere between 50-80m to get to top speed (Stoyanov, 2014). So, this means that elite track athletes are spending a minimum of 35m (38 yards) within the transitional and late acceleration phases.

Although not directly applicable to team sport, it is always interesting to understand how the data of track and field helps to paint a clear picture for these (early, transitional, and late) phases, says @coachmikesully1. Share on X

Again, we cannot directly apply these findings to team sport athletes. They are worse sprinters. But it is good to be able to set the upper limit for what a team sport athlete is likely capable of. Within team sport, it is more reasonable to say that early acceleration happens within the first 10-15 yards, transitional and late acceleration within 15-30 yards, and top speed 30-35+ yards. According to Cam Josse and work that he has looked into, NFL players (regardless of position) reach 93-96% of their top speed by the 20-yard line and all participants in the NFL Combine were around their max velocity by the time they crossed the 40-yard line. Rarely in team sport do we have athletes who are faster than the fastest athletes at the NFL Combine, but this is a good standard for most team sports.

Why Transitional Acceleration Is Crucial in Team Sports and How to Train It

Now that we have begun to figure out what transitional acceleration is, understanding why it is important is paramount. Similar to the introduction of this article, how often—when watching team sports—do athletes go from V_o (complete standstill) to V_max (top speed)?

More often, we see athletes exist within their sport at some V_submax speed and, during gameplay, a transition to V_{still submax but definitely faster}. Early acceleration is often characterized by aggressive horizontal projection angles and long ground contact times, but in team sports we don’t see those very often. We see these bursts of speed from athletes who are already fairly upright into even faster speeds. These are not early acceleration shapes. They are not top-speed velocities. They’re transitional and late acceleration qualities. Certainly, when athletes are going from V_submax to faster speeds, there is a slight horizontal lean, the shin angles drop, and the athlete accelerates, but they don’t hit the angles of early accel. Therefore, it would make sense to train this quality and phase of speed development.

Referring to earlier in this article, I mentioned the common pieces of training that we see within team sport speed already. Within the acceleration component of speed, we see—almost exclusively—10- and 15-yard sprints. As we have already covered, these sprints fall within the early acceleration phase. We need to find more comfort in stretching out some of those accelerations to 20-25 yards. Allow the athletes we are training to feel what it is like to continue accelerating through longer distances as they rise to upright. Similarly, we need to build speed while starting in more upright positions than the angles of early acceleration are known for. Different types of “drop-in” starts or timed sprints are great here. Skip-to-sprint, walk-to-sprint, and jog-to-sprint are all ways to train accelerating from a more vertical angle:

Video 1. Skip to timed sprint—higher starting position than a normal timed acceleration.

Similarly, utilizing wicket runs with a short buildup can also be effective. Something like a 5-yard or 10-yard lead into a wicket run (in this case the wickets would need to get progressively farther apart since the athlete’s stride length would be increasing) would be a great drill. Wickets are a simple drill to force more vertical orientation and doing them with a short buildup ensures that the athlete continues to accelerate while vertical:

Video 2. Wicket run with 5-yard lead in. Wickets get progressively farther apart as speed increases.

Another method of training these qualities is something that Carter Rowland brought up on our podcast, Move the Needle, when he talked about utilizing the 1080 Sprint to go from lighter to heavier resistance throughout a sprint. Variable resistance is often used in the reverse manner—heavier resistance at the start of the sprint and allowing the resistance to drop off as the athlete picks up speed—but it is interesting to think about it in the opposite context.

Carter’s rationale within the episode was that oftentimes in football, athletes will go from a certain speed to a physical impact. Being able to accelerate through that impact—which inevitably causes some kind of deceleration—is a critical component of football and many other sports. Think of a soccer player battling through contact to dribble a ball or a basketball player driving through contact toward the rim. This is also a similar concept to what we have talked about in this article so far. As you sprint through the light resistance, you begin to rise out of the early acceleration stages and approach vertical, only to meet more resistance, needing to lower your angle back down slightly and actively accelerate through that newfound resistance:

Video 3. Variable resistance, starting at 2kg and increasing to 12kg as speed increases. Hard to see on video but the feeling of added resistance as speed increases results in another acceleration.

Certainly, there are more ways to train these phases. However, the first two examples of the drop-in starts and the short lead in wicket runs are easily added or managed within existing frameworks. The third (the example on the 1080) is unique and requires a high level of technology but certainly trains the same qualities we are chasing here.

Careful Addition Requires Thoughtful Subtraction

Adding something to a program, inevitably, means you have to remove something. As I said at the beginning of this article, so many of the things we already do within the speed space need to stay. The early acceleration and the maximum velocity work are essential for creating a well-rounded and resilient athlete. However, it would benefit us, as coaches, to be more diligent about understanding the speed demands of the sports we are training. Doing so would lead us to the same place: the need to add transitional and late acceleration work.

Good coaches are always trying to maximize their time with their programs. I have been able to incorporate these concepts into my speed training with the teams that I work with in a handful of simple ways, says @coachmikesully1. Share on X

As we begin to wrap-up, three important notes need to be made about this article.

1. 1. I wrote this in generalities. Do all athletes fall into these same yardages of acceleration and top-speed phases? Of course not. Male and female, individual anthropometrics, previous training, injury history, etc. all play a role in where specific athletes may fall. I do think the yard ranges that I set out cover many team sport athletes but, of course, context is always situationally dependent.

 

1. 1. I talked about how speed in the current realm of performance training includes mostly early acceleration and top speed. However, in practice, I believe that many coaches implementing what they believe or program as “top speed” are actually training transitional and late acceleration. I have seen many coaches implement “top speed” training by having their athletes run a “flying 10” with a 10-yard lead (20-yard total). As outlined earlier, this is not top-speed training. For some athletes, this may be getting close; but for most, it is not long enough. So, while more coaches than I may credit or train these phases, I don’t think many do intentionally, which is just as erroneous as not doing it at all.

 

1. Finally, my thoughts are never my own. Instead, they are the thoughts of others boiled down and mixed into my own process. Thank you to Stu McMillan, Carter Rowland, Cam Josse, and many others for lending their thought process to my own. I would not have landed here without your help.

To close, I am not lobbying for this transitional and late acceleration training to become the majority of speed work; I am just saying that it needs to be included. It is difficult to effectively fit every quality of sport into a limited training block.

Good coaches are always trying to maximize their time with their programs. I have been able to incorporate these concepts into my speed training with the teams that I work with in a handful of simple ways. If we are doing max velocity work and it is a wicket day, our first two reps may be from a close distance (5 or 10 yards) before backing out for a longer lead in. If we are testing short acceleration times, we will finish with one or two reps of some transitional start into a timed sprint (skip-to-sprint, walk/jog-to-sprint). Even within our warmups, instead of finishing with a 10- or 15-yard acceleration, we’ll stretch those out to 20-25 yards. Small changes to programming can make a big difference in performance. Finding ways to implement a more complete speed training program for your team can make a huge difference on game day.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

References

Coh, M., & Tomazin, K. (2006). Kinematic analysis of the sprint start and acceleration from the blocks. New Studies in Athletics, 21(3), 23-33.

Stoyanov, H. (2014). Competition model characteristics of elite male sprinters. New Studies in Athletics, 29(4), 53-60.

The 40-yard dash is the main event of the NFL Scouting Combine. This test serves as a critical measure of a football player’s speed and explosiveness. This assessment, more than any other individual testing metric at The Combine, influences a player’s draft stock—and, therefore, the amount of money on their rookie contract.

This past January and February, I was at Bommarito Performance Systems with Pete Bommarito (where I have been for the past five NFL Combine training seasons), working with football players getting ready for the NFL Combine and their college pro days. On a quest to continue to improve training methods, we used force plate testing to determine what qualities have the highest correlation to speed and vertical jump performance. I am sure that most of you are familiar with force plates, but these are an incredible tool to assess the strengths and weaknesses of individual athletes. There are countless research articles that support the use of force plate testing to collect valid and reliable data.

In my understanding of sprinting and jumping, athletes need to produce high levels of relative force in a short amount of time and in the proper direction. Although the force plates we used can distinguish total force and vertical force, both tests were very vertical in nature (reactive strength index and isometric mid-thigh pull), so I did not expect the direction of force to give us high correlations. I was expecting peak relative force output and the speed of the force output to be our biggest predictors of sprinting and vertical jumping performance.

Impulse looks to be highly correlated with vertical jump, acceleration, and top speed. But with these tests, the higher the impulse, the worse their performance... This has been a tough one to understand, says @Steve20Haggerty. Share on X

Methods

We tested 32 male college football athletes preparing for the NFL Combine and college pro days. Using the Vald ForceDecks Max we tested reactive strength index (RSI) via the “Hop Test,” as well as the isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP). The RSI test consisted of four consecutive jumps where the players were instructed to jump as high as they can and as quickly as they can.

For the IMTP test, we did not use a barbell like the standard version of this test because I wanted to implement this test in a way that minimized stress on the low back. We used a chain looped around their waist and the bottom of the squat rack, which acted as an unmovable object due to its weight. This setup allowed the players to reach high force outputs without much involvement of the low back. The IMTP test lasted five seconds, with players pushing as hard as they could and as fast as they could.

Players’ bodyweight and body fat percentage were also measured regularly through the use of a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

The players were all tested on their vertical jump using a Vertec and they regularly tested their sprint times using the Vald SmartSpeed timing gates. Their best vertical jump test, 10-20 yard split, and 20-40 yard splits were used for statistical analysis.

Video 1. RSU testing on the Vald ForceDecks Max.

Statistics Simplified

Using Microsoft Excel, each of the unique data points collected from the force plates were run in a correlation coefficient with the acceleration and max velocity sprint times, and vertical jump test results. Along with determining correlations, the R² was determined for each of the correlations. As a stats refresher, R² represents the variance of the dependent variable that is explained by the independent variable. The larger R² is, the more of the dependent variable that can be explained by the independent variable. This should make more sense in the tables below.

Results

The tables below list the force plate and body composition testing, with the highest correlation to the performance tests. The highlighted tests in green were taken during the IMTP, while the remaining tests with a normal white background were taken during the RSI test or body composition testing.

Discussion

What Is Not Important

Impulse looks to be highly correlated with vertical jump, acceleration, and top speed. But with all of these performance assessments, the higher the impulse, the worse their performance in the testing measures. This has been a tough one to understand. Sprinting and jumping require large amounts of force in a limited amount of time. Impulse is the measure of force throughout the duration of time it is applied. One would think that the higher the impulse, the better. Well, in this data set, impulse is highly correlated to body mass (R = .881), and as I mentioned earlier, these testing performances depend on relative strength and force. So, maybe if we convert impulse into relative terms it will have a more appropriate relationship to jumping and sprinting? When doing so, the relationship between acceleration and relative impulse became very poor (R = .145), and even worse with top speed and vertical jump.

Impulse was taken from the repeated hop test, so what about peak vertical force from the IMTP? This is another good measure of strength in both absolute and relative terms. For both acceleration and top speed, these measures were positively correlated with speed, meaning the higher the peak vertical force, the worse the sprinting speed. Again, converting this into relative terms weakened the relationship. But unlike with impulse, at least the relationship became negative (R = -.257), meaning the higher the relative peak vertical force, the faster the sprint speed.

Power is a popular term in the strength and conditioning world. All of us coaches want to make our athletes more powerful. Power in the colloquial sense and power in terms of physics take on slightly different meanings. As you can see on the tables above, for both acceleration and max velocity, peak power was 15^th on the list of correlations. Again, taking body weight into consideration and converting peak power into relative terms changes the correlations from positive to negative (the higher the relative peak power, the faster the sprint), but it would still remain 15^th on each list. For vertical jump, relative peak power is much higher on the list, but carries about the same correlation as it does with acceleration and max velocity.

What Is Important

The two variables that were most highly correlated with acceleration, top speed, and vertical jump performance were body mass and body fat percentage. It should come as no surprise that these two variables are at the top, as the performance of all three of these outputs are highly dependent on mass-specific forces. Bodyweight accounts for 80% of the variance in acceleration speed, and you will always see this trend in NFL Combine 40-yard dash data—the lighter athletes run faster. Out of 22 players to ever run a sub 4.3 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, only three of them weighed over 200 pounds and in total the group has an average weight of 185.8 pounds.

The length of time to exert force in sprinting (ground contact time) and the vertical jump are relatively different. The average ground contact time during a sprint decreases as the athlete reaches higher velocities. The length of time to produce force in a vertical jump obviously can vary between athletes, but on average is .45 seconds. The time to produce force while sprinting at top speed is very short (about .1 second), during acceleration is fairly short (around .2 seconds), and is relatively long during a vertical jump (.45 seconds). The force plate testing results reflected this.

The relative force expressed at 100 milliseconds (.1 seconds) is ranked higher on the list for vertical jump than it is for acceleration or top speed. Force and impulse at 50 milliseconds are more related to top speed than either vertical jump or acceleration. The speed at which the athletes produce force is important to how well they performed at running and jumping.

RSI and ground contact time (GCT) both had high correlations to acceleration and top speed, while only RSI made the top 15 for vertical jump. Again, sprinting has more of a time constraint on producing force than the vertical jump, so this makes sense. This further highlights the importance of producing force very quickly in order to run fast.

What To Do With This?

Bodyweight

We do know that having a lower bodyweight will improve these performances, but to play football, certain positions require a certain amount of mass. We also see body fat percentage plays an important role, and that would be a better metric to change. The leaner an athlete is, the better they will perform on these tests compared to people of similar weight with less muscle mass. Okay, so maintain a good body fat percentage. For some rough guidelines for body composition for each position group, a study by Dengel et al. (2013) used DXA scans on football players leading up to the NFL draft and summer camp. They found the average body fat percentage for each individual position group (See below: Note that DXA and BIA are both valid methods for measuring body composition, but they are not the same test.

Knowing the strong correlation between body composition and both sprinting and jumping performance in NFL Combine tests, it is important for the athletes to achieve a better than average body composition for their position group. In terms of training implications for those athletes falling at below their position group average, some extra strength training volume could be utilized early on in the training process. Body composition would typically not be the main focus of training because:

1. Training to perform well on the test is more of the focus.
2. The amount of strength and sprint training they are doing should already be beneficial for healthy body composition.
3. Adding in excess cardiovascular work in the attempt to lose body fat would potentially take away from their performance in the tests.

If major body composition changes are a priority for specific athletes, I think the majority of those changes will come from proper diet and supplementation followed by the potential for more strength training volume.

We know that a lower bodyweight will improve performance, but certain football positions require a certain amount of mass. We also see body fat percentage plays an important role, and that would be a better metric to change. Share on X

Produce Force Fast

Contact time, RSI, and time specific force measures all contributed to sprinting and jumping performance. The shorter the time to apply force in a performance (1. Max velocity 2. Acceleration 3. Vertical jump), the more these variables were related to the performance. RSI has the highest correlation to max velocity, then acceleration, and then vertical jump. We see this same relationship occur with contact time and time specific force measures. Note that RSI is moderately correlated to vertical jump, but RSI uses the jump height in its equation. When just utilizing contact time in the correlation to vertical jump performance, the relationship is weaker (R = -.340). So, producing force quickly is important for all three performance tests, and is more important the faster the force express is in the performance test.

Power training in the weight room in the form of Olympic lifts, weighted jumps, and speed squats should all be a staple in this training process. Overspeed methods on the field and in the weight room such as assisted plyometrics (continuous vertical jumps, bounds, and single leg bounds) as well as assisted sprints are something that we have utilized over the past few years during this training period. I plan on using these methods even more in the future along with assisted pogo jumps, with the goal being to expose the body to faster ground contact times than it could typically produce on its own.

Proper strength training of the gastroc, soleus, and methods for Achilles tendon health (slow eccentrics and long duration isometrics) have been a part of our NFL Combine training and should be emphasized even more in the future. Using overcoming isometrics in running and jumping specific joint angles is a method I plan to use in the future. The goal should be to produce as much force as possible as quickly as possible. This would be specific to running and jumping in terms of joint angles and speed of force production, but with sprinting the muscle contraction type during ground contact is isometric just like this training method.

Even though I am a fan of tempo or time under tension training methods for certain goals, these methods do not best improve the qualities we would want to improve during this time. Unless doing these for tendon health in a smaller movement, like calf raises, I would stay away from tempo training. We know these practices can be useful, but not typically for rate of force production.

Produce High Relative Forces?

The data collected suggests that peak force and impulse measured on the force plate via RSI and IMTP testing tell us very little about the athlete’s sprint speed and vertical jump performance. That was a tough pill to swallow. We know that there are very large forces relative to bodyweight produced when sprinting, and the faster the athlete the higher these relative forces typically are. Maybe a hip extension isometric test (Run Specific Isometrics from Alex Natera) would provide a better relationship? Sticking with Natera’s concepts, maybe doing the IMTP while on the ball of the foot would provide a better relationship? For now, peak force and impulse do not provide a correlation in the manner we would expect.

Being able to produce high peak forces is still a quality that we would want to see in football players, especially in linemen who need to produce high forces in a game as they try to physically move their opponents. Overall, football is a very physical game, so being strong and being able to produce a lot of force will always be important for most position groups.

Conclusion

The data suggests that bodyweight, body fat percentage, and the speed of force application would be the categories with the highest correlations to sprinting speed and vertical jump performance. Peak vertical force and impulse do not have the relationship with these performances as I originally predicted. Training for the 40-yard dash and vertical jump should spend time attempting to improve an athlete’s body composition and the speed at which they can produce force.

Peak vertical force and impulse do not have the relationship with sprinting speed and vertical jump performances as I originally predicted, says @Steve20Haggerty. Share on X

In the future, I would like to see how this type of force plate testing could lead to more individualized training programs. Understanding where an athlete is below average compared to their position group, players of similar size, or compared to their NFL Combine testing goals could help us coaches determine how to properly train them. This could help us more easily and confidently determine what their limiting factors are, and how to train to improve them.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Every now and then, a piece of training technology crosses my path that really catches my attention. When it comes to training technologies, their utility essentially falls into one of two brackets—either by filling a unique gap, enabling me to capture training benefits otherwise challenging to accomplish, or through making my workflow more efficient.

Tsunami Bar has been an incredibly useful discovery that has helped add to my programming by checking off a few birds with one singular stone. For one, I can’t think of another implement that’s quite comparable (and that comparison is what you usually see in a typical training technology review). Secondly, by both delivering novel adaptations while checking a couple boxes at once, Tsunami Bar is capable of both delivering results and improving programming efficiency.

What IS Tsunami Bar Exactly?

Without making this an engineering article, the most layperson’s way to describe Tsunami Bar is that it’s a barbell implement that intentionally allows for a strategic degree of bend or pliability.

This element of the bar being able to bend to an extent means the more juice you put into it from an intent standpoint, the more each end bends in an oscillatory fashion. There’s some level of overlap in this department from the old Earthquake Bars—although the Tsunami Bar adds to the motor control component by delivering on additional adaptations not seen in Earthquake Bars.

One can think of Louie Simmons’ oscillating kinetic energy concepts to picture how this works in some ways. In other words, working with a load that has perturbation elements to it or “live energy,” as some would say. Most reading this should be familiar with a more lightly loaded version of this with aquabags.

In this case, there’s not only the perturbation element that adds a layer of instability (for motor control and more complete tissue recruitment purposes), but also an elastic element as you have to reverse the bar in the opposite direction—more on these benefits in the next section.

Video 1. The Tsunami bar in action.

The company makes different bars that can accommodate different loads as well as different pliability degrees, but the Speed Bar is the flagship bar and the one I personally integrate into my work with athletes.

The ease of implementation is awesome here as there’s no software needed or technological barriers of entry. The bar is also 100% compatible with all known brands of bumper plates, so there’s no need to purchase additional accessories in order to implement the bar. The bar has appropriate surface changes for added grip as well as smooth sections—just like you’d find in most barbells.

The company offers different bars with varying degrees of pliability—the less pliable the bar, the heavier the load it can accommodate. However, in my opinion (unless you’re training for powerlifting), I’d rather stay to either extreme. For my more heavily loaded strength work that requires more control—say one of my linemen performing a typical bench press—I prefer to use a traditional barbell. When it comes time to capture the adaptations I’m after with Tsunami Bar, I’d rather go all-in on the motor control, speed eccentric overload, and elastic qualities promoted by the Speed Bar. I can see a need for in-between options for some, but for my unique needs that would be more birds, less stones.

How Does It Work & How Is It a Helpful Training Integration?

Getting to it, I think understanding the how helps us better understand where Tsunami Bar fits into the grand scheme of things, programming-wise. As I mentioned before, it’s not hard to grasp that a live load with a more reactive element is going to have a higher likelihood of capturing motor control elements and tissue recruitment than a more stable one.

Please understand, this isn’t an either-or scenario but rather a both situation. I’m not proposing you trade out your traditional, controlled strength work with Tsunami Bar. Rather, consider integrating this to tie the recipe together a la garlic salt, similar to how some coaches like to do traditional strength work and Olympic lift/power variations.

Speaking of both, I find that the Tsunami Bar helps capture adaptations traditionally exclusive to more friction-driven, muscular work (slow, controlled, loaded resistance patterns) as well as more elastic, reactive athletic patterns.

I find that the Tsunami Bar helps capture adaptations traditionally exclusive to more friction-driven, muscular work… as well as more elastic, reactive athletic patterns, says @RewireHP. Share on X

Video 1. Tsunami Bar pulse squats: “move with the wave, make it elastic, keep it elastic.”

I’m a big fan of the “reversal strength” element, if you will. The bar bend phenomenon means if I actively push the bar up during—say, a bench press—the ends of the bar keep traveling upward. I then have to decelerate and reverse the load, actively pulling it back downwards into position.

The same goes for the downward phase of the movement. The load comes down with such speed that I have to actively decelerate and reroute it in the other direction back up.

Thus, it has the potential (depending on execution) to turn traditional lifts into dual-concentric phenomena. This is similar to real life sporting actions, in which an athlete intentionally yields into a movement and concentrically explodes out of it.

At risk of turning this into a biomechanics article, I’ll just say that a lot of traditional lifts involve concentrically pushing a load in one direction and eccentrically fighting it on the way “down” the opposite side of the propulsion arc (think Bill Hartmann and Dr. Pat Davidson’s propulsion arc concepts).

But this concentric/eccentric distinction factor means Tsunami Bar offers something more akin to the overcoming/yielding, expansion/compression qualities seen in sport.

Additionally, this is all happening at an appreciable velocity compared to the way most strength work is executed. In other words, that means athletes are benefitting from a higher speed eccentric overload (as opposed to slow maximal strength eccentric overload).

How Do I Personally Integrate Tsunami Bar Into My Workflow?

Tying this back to the ground floor, in-the-trenches, applied-side of things, Tsunami Bar fills a few gaps for me.

For one, I find that it helps capture both friction and elastic elements, as I mentioned before. This means that I can concurrently have my athletes benefit from traditional elements of loaded strength work while also capturing elements of timing, impulse, slinging weight in a more elastic capacity, reversal strength/concentric-eccentric changeover dynamics.

This has implications for potentially making some of our strength work have a more dynamic or ballistic element to it, which could in turn capture some athletic qualities that transfer to sport (and which are traditionally more or less absent from the weight room).

Both those elements and the reactive element of needing to control a live, perturbation-heavy load means there are not just athletic benefits, but also rehabilitation benefits. Some are not fully ready to take the car out on the track when it comes to sprinting, jumping, cutting, and beyond. The further down the road someone goes in the return to play pipeline, generally the more athletic patterns they can be exposed to.

Some are familiar with these ideas of initially integrating high-volume, low-impact extensive plyometrics eventually layering in more intensive plyometrics (low volume, higher impact). Depending on the sport and injury, integrating Tsunami Bar into one’s strength training can actually check a lot of boxes with regards to motor control, more complete tissue recruitment, and more in order to help prep them for some of the forces encountered in sport.

That element and the full bucket of adaptations it helps capture means it’s a useful durability and rehabilitation tool in many return-to-play scenarios.

As far as specific resistance patterns I enjoy performing with the bar, I’ve found the most ROI comes from the Tsunami bench press (useful push/pull element), jammer press variations (ton of motor control and recruitment value add here), jammer row variations (for the same purpose), and lightly-loaded oscillatory squat variations.

Although you can certainly load the bar up higher than this, I generally don’t go higher than about 50-75% of what someone’s stable barbell max output would be. For a more specific frame of reference, I find myself using as little as a 25 or 45 on each side most often, occasionally doubling up with both or more for something like a jammer press if an athlete is strong enough.

Like a mechanical bull, the bar can be a lot for novice athletes—so, truth be told, it’s probably best suited for those who have something closer to an intermediate training age with foundational movement literacy and some weight room experience in place. That said, you can certainly set them up for success and introduce Tsunami Bar sooner if you:

• Choose the right patterns.
• Don’t overload the bar.
• Cue athletes to go at something closer to half speed initially.

The bar is lighter by design, so you’ll generally want to load the weight on the ground or with a partner to avoid the bar flipping to the side.

The Tsunami Bar is lighter by design, so you’ll generally want to load the weight on the ground or with a partner to avoid the bar flipping to the side, says @RewireHP. Share on X

This is more anecdotal than anything, but it’s worth mentioning that training with Tsunami Bar is also fun and engaging for athletes. It’s healthy for clients to crave novelty, and we as coaches are sometimes tasked with trying to check the same boxes as we integrate enough “newness” into programming, without getting too far off the reservation into novelty for novelty’s sake.

I slot Tsunami Bar in during rehabilitation phases and to occasionally switch things up for durability. Although it checks a lot of boxes, I would say its overall value is in adding more sports-like dynamism to the weight room. It’s not going to replace your agility work and plyometrics (nor would the creators want you to throw those things out)—nor is it going to replace most of your free weight work. However, I can certainly see it taking over the strength-speed side of the weight room traditionally reserved for Olympic Lift variations and traditional patterns.

We as coaches are sometimes tasked with trying to check the same boxes as we integrate enough “newness” into programming, without getting too far off the reservation into novelty for novelty’s sake, says @RewireHP. Share on X

Customer Experience

Speaking of the creators, I cannot say enough good things about the Tsunami Bar team. I think I can speak for all of us coaches when I say the tech companies that come in and try to disrupt fitness or performance generally miss their mark. For most of us, it’s not about being unwilling to embrace innovation so much as it is about the proposed innovations adding complexity while not adding enough R.O.I. to justify said complexity.

With Tsunami Bar, you not only don’t have to worry about that—you can be confident the tech was designed by coaches for coaches, as their team is made up of a diverse group of engineers, researchers, applied physicists, and coaches who are still in the trenches to this day. They are also an education-first company whose concepts involve the entirety of the training process—not just their own products in a salesy capacity. They not only conduct seminars and host ever-growing online educational content, they’re also quite accessible should you ever have any questions on the programming side of things. A+ and class acts in this department, for sure.

With Tsunami Bar, I can be confident I’m giving athletes something they enjoy while also adding something in that’s helping me accomplish everything I need to do on the back end. Training with the implement is such a unique felt sensory experience that at the very least I recommend coaches go try the bar and see what it’s like for themselves. You just might find it helps fill in some gaps in training and deliver some useful adaptations in your athletes.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

If you’re familiar with the collegiate softball schedule, you know it’s a year that spans an off-season from September to January, then ramps up from February to May with intense practices, games, and travel. The off-season prioritizes General Preparatory Phase training to boost the athletes’ size, speed, and strength. As February approaches and schedules fill with practices and double-headers, maintaining a strategic programming structure becomes essential, despite challenges like missed lifts due to travel.

Having grown up in the world of baseball, a few truths about ballplayers always stand out:

1. Both baseball and softball are governed by routines, and disrupting a player’s routine can significantly impact their mental focus.
2. The period before the first pitch involves a lengthy, deliberate warm-up process.

Trying to influence the entire warm-up process as a strength coach has the potential to enhance the athlete performance on the field, elevate the status and integration of strength coaches within the team structure, and garner recognition from players and sport coaches alike. I’ve observed that during their daily warm-ups, athletes often perform their movements mechanically. The intentionality behind their warm-up routines diminishes over time because these routines have remained repetitive and basic since childhood.

Reflecting on my own experience in baseball, I recall doing the same dynamic warm-up from the age of 5 until I was 15. The routine never evolved and became more of a tradition, causing my teammates and me to simply go through the motions. In athletics, we understand that without intention, we rarely see any progress or improvement. Moreover, the impact of intent facilitates athletes’ ongoing development, even on game days.

Video 1. Overall Activation warm-up showcasing TRX Y-Rows with an external rotation, Waterbag Alternating Switches, ½ Kneeling Banded Rows. Note how the warm-up is directly on the field, so athletes can transition into individual warm-ups.

A Standard Game Day Warm-Up

Typically, teams arrive at the field three hours before the scheduled first pitch to set up. During this time, players will pull the tarps off the field, set up the mound and infield area, and prepare the field for batting practice. Following this, there’s a rather routine and basic “dynamic warm-up” session aimed at loosening up. This phase tends to be leisurely and lacks urgency. Once warmed up, the team moves on to batting practice, typically lasting about 30 minutes. Subsequently, the opposing team takes their turn at batting practice, which also spans approximately 30 minutes. During this interval, players often engage in lighthearted banter, enjoy snacks, and relax.

As the game approaches, usually 45 to 60 minutes before the first pitch, teams’ transition to throwing, arm care routines, and infield/outfield drills—essential components of the baseball/softball warm-up routine. While some teams may have variations in their routines, this general structure is one I’ve consistently observed over time. While I don’t criticize these routines, based on my experience in the sport, I often felt my body wasn’t fully prepared for the game due to the leisurely warm-up period. As previously mentioned, when my teammates and I went through our dynamic warm-up, it often lacked intentionality. There was little intensity, and I didn’t feel my muscles were properly activated. We didn’t incorporate much tendon or muscle loading before games because it wasn’t customary to do so. This became problematic for me, as I often didn’t feel in sync with the game until after the first pitch, sometimes not until after my first at-bat. Now, as a strength coach in collegiate athletics, I strive to enhance game day routines even more.

For me, the solution was straightforward: Game Day becomes the prime opportunity to continue impacting our athletes’ development and ensuring they’re fully prepared for the challenge ahead—seven innings of competitive softball! This experience turned out to be the most gratifying period of my career as a strength coach. Being directly involved in game day preparations and collaborating closely with our exceptional softball coaching staff at Simon Fraser University, who truly integrated me into the team as a whole. Typically, as a strength coach, you’re part of the support staff for teams and may not always feel fully involved in the team dynamics. However, everything changes when you step into the athletes’ environment and witness the excitement they have on game day.

Game Day becomes the prime opportunity to continue impacting our athletes' development and ensuring they're fully prepared for the challenge ahead—seven innings of competitive softball!, says Timothy Rattan. Share on X

So, how did we manage game day preparations? Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of our pre-game routines, covering both the day before and the hours leading up to the first pitch.

Pre-Game Lift: Day Before Game

The day before a game follows a standard procedure where the team works within the strength coach’s environment. During these sessions, lifts serve the purpose of enhancing potentiation. We utilize various Olympic lifts, jump variations, and movements that generate high impulse—applied force that changes rapidly over time. The primary objective is to activate the athletes’ nervous systems without inducing complete fatigue before game day. Our focus isn’t on chasing muscle fatigue or achieving significant strength and hypertrophy gains during these sessions.

Breakdown of Power/Potentiation Day

• Movement Prep (5-10 mins)
  • Include rotator cuff work, grip strengthening exercises, ankle yielding isometrics (20-60 second duration), hip mobility and stability exercises
• Neuro Prep (5-10 mins)
  • High CNS Movements – Which can include Medicine Ball throws, Sprints, Low Level Extensive Plyometrics (pogo jumps, jumping rope, reactive single leg jumps)
• Primary Lift (25-35 mins)
  • Olympics lifts & Variations – Generally High Pulls, Hang Power Cleans, Trap Bar Shrugs, Trap Bar Cleans
  • Jump Variations – Intensive focus. Includes Broad Jumps, Box Jumps, Approach Hurdle Jumps
  • High Impulse Movements –Iincludes kettlebell swings, kettlebell passes, medicine ball throws, waterbag swings
  • Loaded Resistance Movements – During these movements the goal is to have load applied to the oblique and the contralateral oblique sling. We use loaded cable swings from a high angle to mimic a swing, minimize explosiveness on this exercise. The major high speed rotational movement will derive from medicine ball throws or waterbag swings.

When I tell the student-athletes “today is our power day,” they understand it’s about moving weights swiftly and energetically. This session also serves as our final opportunity of the week to expose them to high-speed activities, incorporating controlled volumes of sprints. The pre-game lifts inject positive energy and ensure the team is primed for the upcoming day.

Game Day Activation: Athlete & Coaching Buy-In

The first step to ensuring smooth game day activation was to align myself and the coaching staff. Luckily, the SFU Red Leafs’ softball coaching staff were receptive to collaborative ideas, and throughout the season, we worked seamlessly together. Kudos to the coaching staff for their openness to making adjustments to enhance our performance on the field. In discussions with the head coach, Stacy Fournier, we reviewed the entire game day routine leading up to the first pitch. I identified two key areas where we could make a difference:

1. The initial warm-up before batting practice.
2. The 30-minute gap while the opposing team takes batting practice.

These were critical moments where maintaining optimal nervous system activation and readiness were essential.

The next step involved discussions with the team captains. Understanding the importance of superstitions among softball players, my goal was to reassure the team that we were not making drastic changes, but rather adjustments to enhance their preparation. Once this was clarified, we moved on to implementing the new routine leading up to first pitch, detailed in Figure 1 below.

Understanding the importance of superstitions among softball players, my goal was to reassure the team that we were not making drastic changes, but rather adjustments to enhance their preparation, says Timothy Rattan. Share on X

Game Day Activation: Pitchers vs Position Players

Initially, we divided into two groups: Pitchers and Fielders. It was crucial to maintain a different pace for pitchers to preserve their flow and mental focus. During our team’s batting practice, we focused on activation exercises tailored for pitchers. This included dynamic movements to enhance hip stability and mobility, activation drills for the arm and rotator cuff, impulse exercises to improve hip rotation and projection (simulating pitching, and short-distance (10-yard) sprints to simulate the impact on the landing leg while on the mound.

Video 2. Showcasing the major movement patterns we cover during pitcher activation. Using Cossack squats and tripod around-the-worlds to activate and stretch out both the obliques and hip complex. Waterbag drill will be the primary focus for starting pitchers of the day to simulate throwing a pitch.

With pitchers, I made minimal adjustments, while for position players, we adjusted their routine more extensively. Referring to Figure 1, we conducted two separate warm-ups. We kept the team’s usual dynamic warm-up intact to respect their established approach. After their dynamic warm-up and a series of waterfall sprints (requested by the captains), we proceeded to “Activation 1” before batting practice.

Here, the focus was on preparing for hitting by engaging the obliques, hip complex, and enhancing rotational flexibility. This phase included dynamic stabilization exercises with water bags, an overcoming isometric component, and ballistic movements using light bands. After targeting all key areas for swinging, the team smoothly transitioned into batting practice.

Video 3. Before batting practice, it’s a chance to warm up the obliques and emphasize rotational activation. Specifically, we incorporate both a waterbag swing (top video) and a variation of the Pallof press (bottom video) to simulate the movements used during a swing.

After batting practice, I aimed to improve the 30-minute downtime in our pre-game routine. Instead of idle time, we introduced a 15-minute activation session that differed from the traditional “arm care” routine typically seen. A typical arm care regimen includes performing rotator cuff exercises with various resistance bands. These exercises focus on both external and internal rotation movements. Such routines are often rooted in tradition, which isn’t necessarily problematic. However, they can become repetitive over time, lacking the necessary progression required for adaptation to occur.

During this period, athletes had more autonomy in the total amount of volume they completed prior to first pitch. This activation included impulse variations, tissue strengthening exercises, and dynamic movements, focusing on activating the posterior chain and shoulder girdle as shown in sample videos.

Breakdown of Activation 2

• Med Ball – Para – ½ Kneel Press or vertical toss
• TRX Y-Row
• Waterbag Rotational Swing
• Waterbag Alternating Switch
• ½ Kneel Band Row

Following this brief session, the team still had time for personal arm care routines and relaxation before transitioning to throwing and team warm-ups on the field.

Video 4. After Batting Practice has been completed, the team then transitions to the field for activation 2. The video above showcases 3 different exercises, TRX Y-Row to External rotation, ½ Kneel Banded Rows (bottom video) & Waterbag Alternating Switch (Top Video).

Being Part of the Team

In athletics and sports, game day stands out as the pinnacle that excites players, coaches, staff, and fans alike. It’s a day when everyone unites to strive for victory as a team. Establishing a robust game day routine that preserves athletes’ nervous system integrity before the first pitch is crucial.

Game day stands out as the pinnacle that excites players, coaches, staff, and fans alike... Establishing a robust game day routine that preserves athletes' nervous system integrity before the first pitch is crucial. Share on X

Unlike the conventional approach—where softball players warmed up and then waited around for up to 1.5 hours—we segmented activations to minimize downtime and significantly enhance athlete development on game days. Returning to the diamond to influence the game in fresh ways has been among the most rewarding experiences in my young career as a strength coach. Even though traditional softball warm-ups were firmly established, players found this new approach to be invigorating and revitalizing for game day operations. According to player feedback, they felt more prepared as the first pitch approached, which was the primary objective behind these adjustments.

For those interested in adopting a similar strategy and avoiding the monotony of being solely a “weight room person,” I highly recommend immersing yourself in the athletes’ environment, collaborating closely with coaching staff and players, and injecting new energy into athlete development work.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

References

Dechant, Z. (2018). Movement over Maxes: Developing the Foundation for Baseball Performance. Independently Published.

Schlesinger, C. (2023). Micro-Dosing Performance. Lecture.

Care, T. (2024). Holistic Performance Management Concurrent Model. Lecture-NSCA.

Rattan, T (2023). Creating a Plan for In-Season Softball Training.

SimpliFaster and Rude Rock Strength are excited to launch a new educational series that will feature specific athlete return to play (RTP) case studies. These modules will also cover our recent implementation of Hawkin Dynamics force plates into our RTP model and how this has influenced our programming and decision making. This series will run throughout the remainder of 2024 and cover a variety of specific injuries, athletes, and levels of sport.

If you missed our preliminary article, be sure to check out “The Philosophy, Art, and Science of Return to Play for S&C,” which covers the general framework and protocols for these modules to follow. This article will serve as a brief introduction to the full educational video module found below—we hope you enjoy and find value in this series.

Video 1. Module 1 Case Study: “High Ankle Sprain for Football.”

Athlete Background

This case study analyzes a current Division 1 football player (edge/defensive end) who suffered a high ankle sprain while tackling an opposing player in November 2023. The athlete subsequently had surgery in January 2024, in which a TightRope procedure was performed. The athlete followed standard rehabilitative procedures in accordance with his university for early phase rehabilitation. The initial intake and evaluation for this athlete occurred in mid-January 2024. This training intervention began two days after the athlete was permitted to be out of their boot. Thus, the athlete presented with significant pain, edema, and lack of function at the start of our intervention.

Injury Overview

Ankle sprains represent one of the most common soft tissue injuries across all sports. Although high ankle sprains are not typically a devastating injury, they can be very difficult to fully recover from due to the mechanical demands of the foot-ankle complex. High ankle sprains can occur in a number of ways, but most often are a result of the foot being forcefully externally rotated while in a fixed or flexed position with concurrent tibial internal rotation. This results in damage primarily to the ligaments that support and attach the fibula to the tibia which include the posterior and inferior tibiofibular ligaments.

Additionally, high ankle sprains typically involve damage to the interosseous membrane, and in severe cases, can include damage to the peroneal muscles or tendons. The interosseous membrane is the connective tissue that is suspended between the fibular and tibial bones. The primary joint actions that are compromised from a high ankle sprain are tibial internal-external rotation, ankle plantarflexion, foot inversion-eversion, and foot supination-pronation. Considering the mechanics of the foot-ankle-lower leg complex, we also want to remain mindful of the stress that higher velocity and dynamic movements place on the injury site.

The consequential outcomes from a high ankle sprain can be abundant and wide reaching. Depending on the severity (grade) and whether surgery was required, these injuries can have a lengthy healing time. On average, athletes can expect a return to play timeline of about 6-12 weeks, but in most cases can be fully restored without any significant lingering or long-term effects. In more severe cases, surgical interventions may be warranted. In recent years, a new surgical procedure known as the “TightRope” procedure has become more commonly utilized and has seemingly shown promise in its effectiveness to promote long term stability and function of the ankle joint.

The consequential outcomes from a high ankle sprain can be abundant and wide reaching. Depending on the severity (grade) and whether surgery was required, these injuries can have a lengthy healing time, says @danny_ruderock. Share on X

Testing Overview

Both subjective and objective testing procedures are included in this RTP model. We utilize a combination of athlete intake (history/background), soft tissue assessment, and force plate testing for athlete evaluation and testing. The intake and histories give us the context of the individual—who they are as a human more so than who they are as an athlete. Histories provide a lot of information, but predominantly help to set firm boundaries, and understand what has and hasn’t worked for them to this point.

The two primary objective components we utilize include the soft tissue evaluation and force plate testing. The soft tissue component can be conducted in a number of ways and will largely be governed by your scope of practice. But even S&C coaches with no manual therapy background can get indirect evaluations of soft tissue function. This can be as simple as using passive range of motion (ROM) and global mobility assessments to evaluate soft tissue extensibility and sensorimotor acuity. The force plate testing provides us with the most concrete and determining point of evaluation that essentially confirms or validates our programming along the way. The force plate testing will be primarily influential for central training parameters like intensity, volume, and density. We also utilize force plate diagnostics to help determine more nuanced parameters such as tempo applications, load placement, and resistance type.

The force plate testing provides us with the most concrete and determining point of evaluation that essentially confirms or validates our programming along the way, says @danny_ruderock. Share on X

We utilize a general testing battery for data collection that includes the drop landing, countermovement jump (CMJ), and multi-rebound jump test. The specific metrics of interest (i.e., jump height, braking RFD, or peak propulsive impulse) can be variable depending on the athlete and context of their situation. For this athlete we emphasized jump height, countermovement depth, peak/average propulsive force, peak/average braking forces, and time to stabilize. As with any injury case, we also had particular interest in unilateral discrepancies across all primary measures.

This approach allows us to develop a triangulated understanding of who the athlete is, how the injury is affecting the soft tissue, and how their initial force profiles look. Collectively, across these pillars we can generate our performance KPI’s (shown below). Just as how the specific testing procedures and measures of interest are variable based on the athlete and context, the KPI’s are similar. A few of the primary factors for establishing KPI’s include what phase or point they are in the RTP process, what part of the sport calendar they are in, and what the expectations/demands are for that athlete.

Training Overview

This case study was conducted over a six-week training intervention that included two 90-minute sessions per week. These sessions utilized a tandem approach of soft tissue therapy (restorative) and strength training applications. As we progress through the RTP phases, more emphasis is placed on the strength training and less on the soft tissue therapy side. The soft tissue restoration provides a supportive role to help manage tissue degradation, the strength training is where central adaptations are made. Importantly, this was performed concurrently to the standard protocols and treatment applied through the university. Although minimal information of what was being done outside of our facility was available, we know that he was doing something at the university at least 40-75 minutes per day.

Outcomes and Observations

Across the six-week training intervention we saw consistent pre-post progress across all primary measures. This included a significant reduction in pain, reduced inflammation, and increased functional ranges of motion in early phases of training. Continuing on, this was followed by improvements on all key force plate metrics (Peak Propulsive Force, Braking RFD, and Time to Stabilize). This was the case for each of the three jumps utilized in our protocol (drop landing, CMJ, multi-rebound). As mentioned above, our intervention was provided as an adjunct to what was being done concurrently at his university.

consequently, we cannot say that what we provided was exclusively or entirely the reason for this athlete’s progress. However, we do believe that our impact was demonstrated through the diagnostics and adamantly confirmed by the athlete. The primary subjective takeaway the athlete provided was in the middle of Phase 2, where we started approaching heavier intensities. He said being able “to handle high loads on split squats was the biggest confidence boost” he’d had since his surgery.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Kylah Broadnax is a dedicated and dynamic professional with a rich background in athletics and fitness. A former collegiate volleyball player at Midwestern State University, Ky’s passion for sports and fitness led her to transition into personal training (beginning in 2019) and coaching club volleyball (2017-2023).

She earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2021, which provided a strong foundation for a career in sports training and coaching. Upon graduation, Ky joined Elite Speed & Sports Training (ESST), initially as a head strength coach. Demonstrating exceptional leadership and operational skills, Ky was soon promoted to head of operations, a role she excelled in until 2023.

Currently, Ky brings her expertise to Rude Rock Strength & Conditioning as the Head Coach of their flagship Fascial Fitness program. In addition to this role, Ky recently joined TeamBuildr in the customer support department, leveraging her extensive knowledge to assist and guide users.

Training athletes often comes with its own set of constraints. Things like time, equipment, and space are often constraints to a coach, but they can also be opportunities if they are viewed that way. Time is our biggest asset and often a constraint in the college setting as athletes have other demands that pull on their time. Classes, technical practices, study halls, group meetings, and training are just some things that are asked of them daily. It’s important to take note of how much time a coach has with a group and how much time they can allocate to the segments of training that are planned on a particular day.

The size of a facility and the amount of both accessible equipment and space are vital to consider when designing a training program. I am the Associate Athletic Director of Athletic Performance at Quinnipiac University and have been here for 17 years. I train Men’s and Women’s Hockey and Basketball programs in a 2,200-square-foot facility located in our dual hockey and basketball arena.

Our room is uniquely shaped and not the common square or rectangle as most weight rooms are—the room is, instead, shaped like an oval and creates unique challenges for organization and a floor plan. Over time, we have developed a well-thought-out floor plan that allows athletes to train effectively and efficiently.

I have also been fortunate to have had access to a unique piece of equipment that I believe is a game-changer for any coach, therapist, or trainer who works with human beings. I have seen this technology reduce athletes’ pain, improve their mobility, improve their power outputs, improve their speed, improve their movement patterns, and help them feel more confident in their movement capabilities.

I have been fortunate to have had access to a unique piece of equipment that I believe is a game-changer for any coach, therapist, or trainer who works with human beings, says @bpatel515. Share on X

The OHM Run is an isokinetic, accommodating resistance machine used to enhance a person’s ability to move more efficiently. Much of my training philosophy is grounded in a movement-based approach to physical preparation and I have not found something that can positively impact a human being’s ability to move more efficiently than the OHM Run.

Fascia

I do not want to go into a full-blown article about the fascial system, how it impacts movement, and how the OHM directly impacts fascia…but I will touch on some key points.

I have an extensive presentation that I have put together about understanding fascia and how we can effectively impact it, which is available for purchase here.

Our role as coaches is to enhance movement, and we use exercise to enhance movement.

Optimal movement requires one’s ability to get into optimal positions to produce and reduce force. Oftentimes, our movement can be restricted and impair our ability to efficiently get into these positions or postures. Our fascial system can be an obstacle to the positions and postures that we desire in our quest for enhancing movement.

Optimal force reduction and production is dependent upon the ability to get into the most biomechanically advantageous positions. Everything that we do in a training environment is used to ultimately enhance an athlete’s ability to move efficiently.

Everything that we do in a training environment is used to ultimately enhance an athlete’s ability to move efficiently, says @bpatel515. Share on X

The OHM’s isokinetic technology impacts fascia as each movement is done at a slow velocity (typically 0.5-1 mph), and increases the time under traction as an individual’s muscles are lengthening and contracting through a full range of motion. The result is similar to if someone was doing fascial manipulation to you, but the individual is moving naturally and working on improving the slide and glide that occurs with muscles against fascia on their own. This actively involves the athlete’s nervous system and improves their ability to feel their movements.

Video 1. This clip shows a common movement that we perform on the OHM to help open up an athlete’s mid-thoracic spine, which allows the tissue to stretch while the force being created is occurring through the feet and transferred through the posterior back line. 

The accommodating resistance of the technique allows an athlete to produce maximal amounts of force at a slow velocity, as if a clinician was increasing the magnitude of force during fascial manipulation work. This allows an individual to go beyond the breaking point where fascia would normally not let one go (if there’s a restriction). The tech facilitates a better glide between the deep fascial layer and muscle tissue.

The beauty of this that it is all done by the individual themselves. They learn their movements, they feel their movements, and they are working through their own restrictions.

Implementing OHM Run in a Team Setting

Utilizing the OHM in a team setting is a challenge, since we only have one in our facility. I have typically included it into training on an individual basis and with athletes who wanted to do extra work in small groups or on their own.

This past summer, I wanted to integrate the “warm-up” and “speed/movement” parts of our training session and planned to take advantage of the OHM because I had a feeling that it would help prepare our athletes’ fascial, joint, muscular, and nervous systems for the session ahead.

I had a small group of athletes that I could trial this integrated warm-up with to see how it would work logistically.  Before I explain how this worked, I want to share how we have typically organized sessions.

1. 1. Get Prepared – Soft tissue, RPR, fascial stretches.

 

1. 1. Get Right – Ground-based core work.

 

1. 1. Get Hot & Get Loose – Continuous, dynamic warm-ups.

 

1. 1. Get Ready – Movement prep (linear or lateral)/mechanics.

 

1. 1. Get Better – Sprints, plyometrics, strength work, conditioning, etc.

 

The thought process for this current summer (2024) was to create a way to integrate the OHM into sections three and four to achieve the following goals:

1. 1. Increase tissue temperature.

 

1. 1. Prepare joints and tissue for higher velocity or heavier loading to come later in the session.

 

1. 1. Prime the nervous system.

 

1. 1. Prepare the body through full range of motion movement.

 

1. 1. Improve movement mechanics and pattern them.

 

The most effective and efficient way to incorporate the OHM into a team session was to set up a circuit where the OHM became a station. Knowing that I wanted to use the OHM, I also decided to implement additional movements with equipment that we would not be able to normally use with a full group. These changes also created novelty within our training, which helped engagement, enhanced communication between team members as they had to help each other flow through the circuit, and reinforce details of each movement (grip, tempo, stance, etc.)

The circuit that we performed on our first lower body day of the week (linear emphasis) was:

• A1. OHM Forward March @ 0.5 MPH x2 (5 yds)

 

• A2. Dead Hang x30 sec

 

• A3. Toe Pro Bent Knee Calf Raise x12

 

• A4. BB OH Squat x5

 

• A5. Band Belly Push x15 sec each

 

A6. KB 90-90 Pullover x5

Video 2. Forward March at 0.5 mph.


Video 3. Forward facing view of forward march at 0.5 mph.

Once everyone performed those movements, they performed two reps of OHM Sprints at four mph and then six mph for five yards each. The rotations between individuals went quicker due to the shorter nature of each sprint.

Video 4. The Goal here is to create as much force moving at four mph.

Video 5. As velocity increases, take note of the postures that have been attained from the previous, slower-patterned reps.

After this “warm-up” was completed, everyone did the following acceleration work, which we would typically do even if we didn’t implement this change.

• Pushup Starts x 5 yds each leg
• Split Squat Starts x 5 yds each leg
• Ball Drops – stagger start x 5 yds each
• Flying 10’s – x 2

Adding the circuit took the place of our traditional continuous warm-up and allowed me to remove the first couple drills of our linear speed session, which was to pattern pushes and reinforce ground contact under an athlete’s center of mass. Performing the marches and sprints on the OHM allowed the athletes to feel the positions and patterns themselves, which they were then able to incorporate into the following sprint work.

The circuit that we performed on our second lower body day of the week (lateral emphasis) was:

• A1. OHM Lateral Push @ 1 mph x1 each (5 yds)

 

• A2. 90-90 Supine Pilates Ring Squeeze x8x2 sec

 

• A3. Toe Pro Bent Knee Calf Raise x12

 

A4. 1 Leg KB SLDL x8 each

Video 6. Moving at one mph teaches athletes how to recover their footing under their center of mass.

Video 7. The movements that we prescribed are all movements our athletes have performed in the past.

Once everyone performed one round, they then did lateral shuffles at four and six mph for one rep each direction for five yards.

Video 8. Lateral Push at four mph.

Video 9. Lateral Push at six mph.

The second circuit we performed that day was to work on the crossover pattern:

• B1. OHM Crossover Step @ 1mph x1 each (5 yds)

 

• B2. Dead Hang x30 sec

 

• B3. Band Belly Push x15 sec each

 

B4. KB Goblet Poliquin Step Down x8 each

Video 10. Crossover Step at one mph.

Video 11. Here is a look at how things are moving around the room and organized.


Video 12. The circuit is set up relatively close to each other to maximize space.

Once the athletes all performed one round, they then did crossover runs at four mph and six mph for one rep each direction covering five yards.

Video 13. Crossover Push at four mph. Our athletes note how they enjoy the ability to lean and create similar angles they would on the ice and push with higher levels of force.

Video 14. Crossover Push at six mph. Take note of foot placement as speed increases.

Just as on day one, these circuits replaced our traditional, continuous warm-up and lateral patterning/movement drills to help our athletes understand how to move laterally more efficiently.

We did not take any objective measurements to see how impactful this change was to our sessions, but the subjective feedback was powerful.

Every single athlete that performed this new circuit said they felt like they could push harder and longer on their sprints and jumps. I attribute this to the isokinetic technology of the OHM, says @bpatel515. Share on X

Athletes said they felt, warmer, more engaged, looser, lighter, and more powerful when we moved on to plyometrics and their strength work that followed. Every single athlete that performed this new circuit said they felt like they could push harder and longer on their sprints and jumps. I attribute this to the isokinetic technology of the OHM, because no matter how much force an athlete creates, the speed of the machine limits the velocity they can reach. This means that if an athlete tries to create maximal amounts of force, the OHM increases the resistance so that the athlete will not be able to move faster than the programmed speed. The athlete was forced to learn how to push through their entire range of motion and apply force in the ideal biomechanical position without having to be told or taught what to do.

They were able to feel it themselves.

When an athlete is able to feel it themselves, it enhances their learning and ultimately their self-awareness of their body positions and movements. This experience is invaluable in the athletic development process.

I often tell those that I work with, “If you cannot sense and feel, you cannot control and change.” A responsibility of a coach is to help our athletes develop their own self-awareness; to help them understand and become aware of their thoughts, their breath, their minds, their emotions, and their bodies. Once an athlete learns how to sense and feel those components, they can ultimately control and change them to impact their sense of well-being and performance.

I often tell those that I work with, ‘If you cannot sense and feel, you cannot control and change,’ says @bpatel515. Share on X

Moving Forward

Training a full team together often creates many logistical challenges. A coach may have an elaborate, well-thought-out plan that may not be able to work within a session’s given constraints. It’s important for coaches to have secondary plans and protocols that may be able to be used in different situations.

This change in warm-up/movement session is not something that we could use efficiently with a large team (12+ athletes), but provides a nice template if we were to add additional units in the future and when athletes come in to perform extra work in a small group. I will be putting together different “warm-up modules” that integrate movement patterning, strength development, and range of motion—while increasing tissue temperature—that can be performed in a variety of situations to help our athletes continue to improve.

OHM technology is a game changer and is the number one piece of equipment I will look to see how we can incorporate into any new facility, says @bpatel515. Share on X

No matter the environment you work within as a coach, it’s important to have plans that are flexible, adaptable, and modifiable. As new technologies and equipment come to market and we learn how those tools can positively impact movement, it’s important to be flexible in our thought process to understand how we can introduce it for our athletes’ benefit.

OHM technology is a game changer and is the number one piece of equipment I will look to see how we can incorporate into any new facility.

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